mountain gorillas in the post-rio era
DESCRIPTION
Mountain Gorillas in the Post-Rio Era. Ursula Karlowski University of Rostock. Republic of Uganda tropical highland climate Area : 236.860 qkm - equivalent to the size of former BRD; 18% lake and swamp area (circa 40.000 qkm) Capital city Kampala ca. 1,8 Mio. inhabitants - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Republic of Uganda
tropical highland climate
Area: 236.860 qkm - equivalent to the size of former BRD; 18% lake and swamp area (circa 40.000 qkm)
Capital city Kampala ca. 1,8 Mio. inhabitants
Population: approx. 27 Millions, growth rate: 3,5%
Head of State: Yoweri Kaguta Museveni since 29.01.1986 after civil war, elected in 1996, re-elected for 5 years on 12.03.2001, and again for 5 years on 23.02.2006
Ruling party: National Resistance Movement (NRM)
vegetational zones potential forest cover
Albertine Rift montane forests
Victoria Basin forest savanna mosaic
Ruwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands
East Suadanian savanna
Northern Acacia-Commiphora bushland and thickets
Lake
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national parkforest reserve
Lakes
Intern. boundary
5 km0
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L. Bunyoni
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2
RWANDA
D.R
. CO
NG
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UGANDA
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3KISORO
L. Mutanda
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1 - Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
2 – Echuya Forest
3 – Mgahinga Forest
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Parc National des Virungas
Parc National des Volcans
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Muside Sabinyo Gahinga
Visoke
Karisimbi
Mikeno
Muhavura
Virunga Conservation Area
Mountain Gorillas Gorilla beringei beringei
• appr. 380 individuals live in the Virungas
• 28 family-groups, plus 11 solitary males
• the subspecies is CRITICALLY ENDANGERED according to the IUCN Red List
http://www.wildlifedirect.org/gorillaprotection/
Photo: Jörg Hess
Current Numbers and Geographic Ranges of Africa's Great Apes
Approx.Species andSubspeciesNumbers
Approx.Range (km²)
Robust chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) 200,000 838,000
Western chimpanzee (P. t. verus) 40,000 48,000
Nigeria chimpanzee (P. t. vellerosus) 5,000 20,000
Central chimpanzee (P. t. troglodytes) 62,000 270,000
Eastern chimpanzee (P. t. schweinfurthii) 96,000 500,000
Gracile chimpanzee (Pan paniscus) 40,000 120,000
Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) 94,000 445,000
Western lowland gorilla (G. g. gorilla) 94,000 445,000
Cross River gorilla (G. g. diehli) 200 300
Eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) 17,000 15,000
Mountain gorilla (G. b. beringei) 380 400
Grauer's gorilla (G. b. graueri) 17,000 15,000
Bwindi gorilla (G. b. subspecies?) 300 200
Virunga Volcanoes (Uganda)
4000
3000
2000
afroalpine vegetationafromontane cloud forestbamboo forestcultivated landericaceous zoneHagenia-Hypericum forestmontane grassland & scrubregeneration zone
Muhavura
GahingaSabinio
4000 m
3000 m
2000 m
East West
altitudinal zonation of vegetation
• Afromontane Cloud Forest (2300 - 2600 m)
• Bamboo Forest (2600 - 3000 m)
• Hagenia-Hypericum Forest (2900 - 3300 m)
• Ericaceous Zone (3300 - 3500 m)
• Afroalpine zone or ‘Paramo‘ (3500 - 4127 m)
Gorilla Sanctuary
1930 - 1964
Mgahinga Forest Reserve
1941 - 1951
Mgahinga Forest Reserve
1951 - 1977
Gorilla Game Reserve
1964 - 1991
Mgahinga Forest Reserve
1977 - 1991
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
1991 up to now
remember – the old boundary from 1964
Gorilla Sanctuary
1930 - 1964
Mgahinga Forest Reserve
1941 - 1951
tree nursery using indigenous seeds: Hagenia abyssinica, Bersama abyssinica, Tabernaemontana johnstonii
USAID funded Project starts
• A Project called „development through conservation“ (DTC) starts to work in the villages near the national park
• their aim: to improve the living conditions of the population
• their tool : „sustainable“ resource use inside protected areas
Nature Conservation Project
protection of wildlife in the national park
Development Assistance Project
use of resources in the national park
conflicting priorities
natural regeneration shall lead to an enlargement of the bamboo forest
removal of bamboo rhizomes and stems
conflicting priorities
Nature Conservation Project
Development Assistance Project
development of eco-tourism and revenue-sharing with local communities
harvest of natural products as tool for local development
conflicting priorities
Nature Conservation Project
Development Assistance Project
income-generating through build-up of infrastructure (Ranger, Tourists, Researcher, park administration, local market)
use of natural resources
conflicting priorities
Nature Conservation Project
Development Assistance Project
?
conflicting priorities
forest regeneration in degraded areas
Nature Conservation Project
Development Assistance Project
use of natural resources inside the degraded areas
Multiple use in the National Park
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1000 m
Herbalist
Herbalist
Herbalist
Herbalist
Herbalist
Herbalist
Herbalist
HerbalistHerbalist
Herbalist
HerbalistHerbalist
Bee Keeping
Bee Keeping
Bee Keeping
Bee Keeping
Bee Keeping
Bee Keeping
Bee Keeping
Bee Keeping
tree felling
tree fellingtree felling
tree felling
water collection
water collectionwater collection
water collection
Bamboo production
Bamboo production
Bamboo rhizome removal
Bamboo rhizome removal
Herbalist
Implementation of sustainable resource use principles
into Managament Plans:conflict about bamboo
photo: Ulrich Karlowski
– 20 % of the area becomes a multiple use zone
– within this zone the aim of natural regeneration of vegetation is subordinate to resource use
– activities comprise amongst other things:• harvesting of bamboo rhizomes and stems
– no mentioning of recovering ... you cannot harvest what has to grow first ...
The first management plan (1994 – 1998)
– again, a strip along the northern boundary is allocated as „Multiple-Use-Zone“
– „within this zone, limited and strictly controlled access to specified Park resources may be granted to lacal community members. ...“
– „... the Multiple-Use-Zone is currently recovering from past disturbance and may, at the moment, not be able to supply alll the types or quantities of resources desired by local communities ... .“
The second management plan (1996 – 2000)
„ ... The ultimate objective will be to eliminate plant resource harvesting for propagation purposes (i.e. bamboo rhizomes) from the Nature Protection/Tourism Zone by 1997 and to arrive a long term elimination of any extraction of medicinal plants and basketry making resources.“
The second management plan (1996 – 2000) continues:
correction of aims – the new management plan for 2001 - 2011
review of the multiple use programme
“Since most of this area has been previously encroached and is just regenerating, extractive resource use should be allowed only if ecological assessment recommends so. “
correction of aims – continued ...
“Resource access in both parks shall only take place where an assessment has been completed. The assessment shall determine the availability of the resources within the specified area, the amount of off-take ... that will be sustainable, and the ability of park management and the community to effectively control access and use.”
correction of aims – continued ...
“There is high demand for bamboo among communities. However, the collection of bamboo rhizomes needs careful study especially as it is found further in the parks than the integrated resource use zones. On-farm planting by communities should be encouraged through availing rhizomes during the suitable planting seasons. Sustainable use shall be ensured through use of specific days or seasons for collection under the supervision of park staff.”
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Kanungu camp
Rushaga camp
Ndego camp
Kitahurira camp
Nteko camp
Buhoma
Ruhija
5 0 5 10 15 Kilometers
Administrative zoneIntegrated Resource Use zoneTourism zoneTourism/Integrated Resource Use (overlap)Wilderness zone
Park boundary< Outposts
International boundary
N
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
Kanungu camp
Rushaga camp
Ndego camp
Kitahurira camp
Nteko camp
Buhoma
Ruhija
5 0 5 10 15 Kilometers
Administrative zoneIntegrated Resource Use zoneTourism zoneTourism/Integrated Resource Use (overlap)Wilderness zone
Park boundary< Outposts
International boundary
N
<<
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<
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MGNP Ntebeko OfficeMuhabura Outpost/campsite
Shelter
Shelter
Nyakagezi outpost
Administrative zoneIntegrated Use zoneTourism zoneWilderness zone
Park boundary< Outposts/Shelters
2 0 2 4 6 Kilometers
N
<<
<
<
<
MGNP Ntebeko OfficeMuhabura Outpost/campsite
Shelter
Shelter
Nyakagezi outpost
Administrative zoneIntegrated Use zoneTourism zoneWilderness zone
Park boundary< Outposts/Shelters
2 0 2 4 6 Kilometers
N
conservation of endangered species through
protection of their habitat
resource use by local communities inside protected areas
http://www.wildlifedirect.org/gorillaprotection/
photo: Ursula Karlowski
résumé
stake holders have a heavy responsibility, to find a sound solution to this ongoing conflict, which will last forever:
the conflict between exploitation and conservation of nature
a solution is of particular importance in this case, where a highly endangered species is concerned.
résumé
achievement of local aims shall not counteract global objectives
extinction is forever (Golden Monkey, Mountain Gorilla, ...)
gorilla-tourism income could run dry
regular ecological assessment is necessary
Michael Succow: intrinsic values versus profit:
If we acknowledge the intrinsic values of all living beings a new era could begin and could be the driver for a new humanism, in which not only the interaction of man and nature but also between humans could be humanized.
References:
Butynski, T. & Kalina, J. (1993): Three new mountain national parks for Uganda. Oryx Vol 27 No4 October 1993.
Karlowski, U. (2006): Afromontane old-field vegetation: secondary succession and the return of indigenous species. Afr. J. Ecol., 44, 264–272.
Sucker, K.-J., Karlowski, U., Okongo, K., Karlowski, U., Meder, A. (1994): Wildlife conservation and ecological sustainability of resource use in: Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Information for the Management Plan. Analysis provided to the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, and others. Kampala, Kisoro, Bonn, Düsseldorf.
Uganda National Parks (1993): Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Draft Management Plan 1994 – 1998.
Uganda National Parks (1996): Mgahinga Gorilla National Plan Management Plan 1996 – 2000.
Uganda Wildlife Authority (2003): Bwindi / Mgahinga Conservation Area General Management Plan 2001-2011. Kampala
http://www.berggorilla.de/english/frame.html
http://www.solarviews.com/eng/earth.htm
http://cumuseum.colorado.edu/Exhibits/Traveling/Fossey/details.html
http://www.wildlifedirect.org/gorillaprotection/
Succow, M. (2002): Ursprüngliches erhalten. Über Deutschlands Verantwortung für die biologische Vielfalt. Naturschutz heute – Ausgabe 2/02 vom 26. April 2002.
If not stated otherwise, all photos by Ursula Karlowski and Klaus-Jürgen Sucker.